Time is running out...where do I even apply?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've always studied, stayed late, and took summer school, all to get into college. But where do I go?
I'm from Wisconsin and want to apply to Madison...but I don't know where else!</p>

<p>I have a
32 ACT
4.00 UW
8 APs, mainly Social Studies
Decent ECs
And I'm a fairly good writer (this is being typed on a phone)</p>

<p>I like medium to large campuses and want to double major in Poli Sci and Econ and maybe go to law school.</p>

<p>I know this is strange...but how do I look? Any suggestions?
I feel so stuck!</p>

2

<p>[Freshman</a> Applicants: Requirements and Expectations - Office of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison](<a href=“http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/freshman/requirements.php]Freshman”>http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/freshman/requirements.php) indicates that essays and extracurriculars are considered, so Wisconsin may not be a 100% safety, though your academic stats indicate that it is probably a low match. Have you verified affordability?</p>

<p>If Wisconsin is your first choice, then you may want to just look for a 100% (for both admissions and affordability) safety to add to your list.</p>

3

<p>What is your financial situation? You have reciprocity with University of Minnesota, so that would likely be a fairly affordable option that you could add to your list.</p>

4

<p>My parents told me they would send me anywhere.
Their EFC is $75,000 so I wouldn’t qualify for aid.</p>

5

<p>Wow, good deal for you! Is there any part of the country you especially like? Have you done any college visits outside Wisconsin? Assuming you are a senior, since you have your ACT score. </p>

<p>What about University of Michigan? Great school, great college town. You could take a shot at Northwestern, too.</p>

6

<p>Cost is no object … your stats are very good … double major in polisci/econ … midwest … medium-to-large school:</p>

<p>Michigan (28K undergrads; #4 political science; #13 econ)
Northwestern (8400 undergrads; #21 political science; #7 econ)
University of Chicago (5400 undergrads; #12 political science; #1 econ)
Washington University in St. Louis (7300 undergrads; #13 political science; #27 econ)</p>

<p>The ranking numbers are US News graduate program rankings based on peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each field. They presumably have some bearing on undergraduate program strength. However, in my opinion, the numbers suggest they all have enough strength in both fields that you could decide based on other factors.</p>

<p>What other factors are important to you?
You could use an online college matcher, like this one:
<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/[/url]”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>You have a shot at the UC’s since your parents can pay full OOS price. For that reason, request information from all the top-ranked public universities in states you like. UMichigan, as someone said, springs to mind immediately. UVA, UNC-CH, UT Austin, UCSD, PSU, UWA.
The Claremont Consortium is a good alternative too - 5 smaller colleges (+ grad school) make a medium university. Claremont McKenna is good at Economics and Finance, but look into Pomona and Scripps, too (different “vibes” - even though all offer economics and Pomona is tops, I can’t imagine a student applying to all three.)
Same thing for the Bryn Mawr/Swarthmore/Haverford consortium (with Penn partnership).
Obvious suggestions include Georgetown, GWU, American (for political science in particular); Hamilton and the top LACs may not be big enough but still worth looking into because they meet your other requirements; check out Emory, Barnard, Colgate, JHU.
Ask for information or “join the mailing list” from their website to get an idea of what you like or not.
Once you’ve culled your choices, we can suggest schools that are “like” those you like.</p>

8

<p>For pre-law, perhaps you may want to consider how much grade inflation each school has, relative to the competitiveness of its students.
[National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com%5DNational”>http://www.gradeinflation.com)</p>

<p>Also, schools which give A+ grades (even if the school does not count them as any more than A grades in the school’s GPA calculation) can be advantageous for a law school applicant who earns them, since law school application GPA does count A+ grades as higher than A grades.</p>

<p>[Welcome</a> to LawSchoolNumbers.com | Law School Numbers](<a href=“http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com) can give you an idea of what it takes to get into various law schools.</p>

9

<p>Looking for a change of climate? What about UC Berkeley or UCLA? You’ve got the stats, sounds like parents could afford the OOS tuition, and CA needs their $$$.</p>

10

<p>might look at some good liberal arts schools like Holy Cross(1 hour from Boston) or Tufts.</p>

11

<p>Thank you all so much!
I’ve looked at many of your suggestions so far and am very interested!</p>

12

<p>At this point (mid-October) you ought to have a fairly clear idea at least of the kind of college you want. The suggestions here are all over the map (literally and figuratively).</p>

<p>Unless cost truly does not matter at all, it may not make a lot of sense for a Wisconsin resident to choose an out-of-state public university for economics and political science. Wisconsin is pretty strong in both. For Berkeley, UCLA, or Michigan, you’d be paying about $30K/year more for a rather similar product. </p>

<p>At a small LAC, at least you’d be getting much smaller classes. At a T20 private university you’d be getting somewhat smaller classes … and more prestige I suppose (although Wisconsin-Madison may have better brand recognition than Rice or Vanderbilt in your region). At most very selective private schools (big or small), you’d be getting more of a mix of classmates from all over the country, selected for their diverse talents almost as much as for their stats (which would be more consistently high than at the public alternatives). At many selective private schools, you’d also be scaling down to a smaller campus, with a greater concentration of very affluent students and perhaps a less enthusiastic sports scene. All this will add up to a rather different atmosphere than you’d get at Wisconsin or other public schools. </p>

<p>If you have no strong preferences this late in the game, Wisconsin is the school to beat. For you, there may not be anywhere else worth paying double (or more). If you want to see what LACs are all about, have a look at Beloit and Lawrence (both in Wisconsin), or Carleton and Macalester (in Minnesota). You don’t have to fly to New England to find a good one. To check out an “elite” private university, visit Northwestern.</p>

13

<p>Absolutely. ^^^</p>

<p>With the increased price, which my parents are far more comfortable with than I am, there should be more prestige, a far better program, etc.</p>

<p>My parents are really encouraging me to reach…but I don’t know where.</p>

14

<p>posts #7, 8, 10 (even 10 – even though par72 has been posting “holy cross” for the past 3 years :slight_smile: it isn’t a bad suggestion) provide lots of “reach” options for you. :)</p>

15

<p>I would start working on the application process soon, and applying for Early Action options if you can. Depending on the schools, you may get a more favorable decision if you apply earlier via early action than regular decision. Have you toured any college campuses or interviewed yet? Definitely interview at colleges nearby for sure, like Madison.</p>

16

<p>Note that are lower cost LACs like University of Minnesota - Morris and Truman State.</p>